HADEEL Al-OMAR

Idlib- On February 6, 2023, two devastating earthquakes struck Turkey, Kurdistan and Syria, killing thousands of people and destroying thousands of buildings. The Syrian refugees living in earthquake-affected cities in Turkey have been deported to the cities in northeast Syria.

NuJINHA spoke to the deported Syrian refugees. 33-year-old Ayat Al-Ibrahim is one of them. She lost her husband and her house in the earthquakes. “I did not expect to be deported to the city of Idlib in northern Syria in such a short time. I face many difficulties because I have no relatives in Idlib. I lost my husband in the earthquake. Now, I have to earn a living for my two children alone. My house collapsed and I could not take anything from my house. I had to stay in parks with my children for days,” she told us.

 They were deported

Ayat Al-Ibrahim could not take even their ID cards. “I was held in detention for two days by the Turkish authorities because I did not have an identity card. Then, I was deported to Idlib. Before the Turkish police deported me, they forced me to sign a document saying that I voluntarily return to Syria. This document prevents me from returning to Turkey for at least five years. Now, we take shelter in a place. I am looking for a job now to earn a living for my children and find a place to live.”

She cannot return to Turkey

29-year-old Safaa Al-Munawar was on holiday in Idlib. When she went to the Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing to return to Turkey, she was arrested by the Turkish soldiers and deported to Syria. “Our house in Antakya collapsed in the earthquake. Before being deported from Turkey, Turkish police took my ID card and the ID cards of my children. My entry to Turkey has been denied. My husband is in prison in Turkey. Now, I have to take the risk to cross the border illegally in order to see my husband,” Safaa Al-Munawar said.

 Violations have increased

Roaa Abdel Rahman, a human rights activist in Idlib, points out that rights violations against women and children affected by the earthquake have increased. She said, “The deportation of refugees is a violation of international conventions protecting refugees. Syrian refugees living in Turkey have been forcibly deported from Turkey. The deported refugees face many difficulties in Idlib because they do not have a place to take shelter or anything else. Special international committees must be formed to support the deported refugees.”